Hair clasp



Jan. 6, 1942;

w. B. WARDELL 2,268,629

HAIR CLASP Filed June 24, 1938 INVENTOR. wu/afiwea-u BY ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 6, 1942 PATENT OFFlCE.

' 2,268,629 HAIR CLASP Wallis B. Wardell, Highgrove, Calif., assignor to Hollywood Pin, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application June 24,

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to hair clasps, of the type commonly known as bobby pins.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a hair clasp of this class which,

when grasped between the thumb and index finger, is and remains open, without being held in an open position, so that the clasp may be easily placedover or around, a wisp or .tuft of hair, and then, by a slight rotation or twist, the normally open fingers will snap into a closed or clasping position around the hair. I

Another important object of this invention is to provide'a clasp of this .class which may be madeas simply and economically as other clasps now in use. p i An important object also is the provision of a clasp of this class in which the tension between the fingers is at a minimum when in their normal separated or open positions, and in which the tension is greatest when the clasp is closed, and also in which the tension may be increased easily and while the clasp is being placed over or around the hair.

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, I have devised a hair clasp having certain novel features of construction and arrangement, as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the characters of reference thereon, which form a part of the application, in which:

Fig. l is a side View of my clasp, in one form, in an open position;

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof;

Fig. 3 is an end view thereof; 7

Fig. 4 is a side view of the clasp showing the same snapped into a closed position over a tuft of hair; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 of a slightly modified form of my clasp.

My hair clasp in its preferred form, is made of relatively fiat spring metal folded intermediate its ends fiatwise upon itself, forming a loop I at one end of the clasp and long resilient fingers extending therefrom. These fingers are normally crossed, as shown in Fig. 2, when the clasp is ready for use. The loop portion is so constructed that the fingers are resiliently held in a crossed position as well as in a closed position, shown in Fig. 4. To facilitate the assumption of such positions ofthe fingers, the portions 5 and 6, immediately between the loop and the fingers, are slightly twisted.

When the clasp is intended to be fastened or 1938, Serial No. 215,562

clasped over a tuft of hair, it is in the shape shown-in Fig. 2. It is grasped between the thumb and index finger of the hand at the loop I, and "then twisted through 180. Such twisting will retain the fingers of the clasp at the same side of the tuft of hair but will cause-them to rotate through 180 and place the fingers fiatwise against each other at the opposite sides of the tuft of hair. The fingers are then held resiliently toward each other and tightly clasped over the hair.

Such twisting of the clasp through 180 necessitates slight lateral bending of or adjacent the loop. To facilitate such lateral bending, the loop is preferably made narrower or rounded, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. However, one of the fingers may be made narrower or slightly rounded, immediately adjacent the loop, as indicated by I in Fig.5, I

One of the fingers may have transverse corrugations 8 to facilitate the retention of the clasp on the hair. One of the fingers, and preferably the one not having the corrugations, isrelatively wider, so that the fingers may be held in opposed relation when snapped together. Both fingers are preferably considerably tapered so that the ends are relatively wide.

It will be here noted that if the loop is narrow and the fingers are tapered to relatively wide ends, twisting of the loop portion with respect to the fingers may be omitted, though not with the same desirable results.

Though I have shown and described a par- 35 ticular construction of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to the same, but desire to include in the scope of my invention, the construction, combination, and arrangement, substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop at one end of the clasp and relatively wide spring fingers extending therefrom, a portion of the material of the clasp adjacent said loop being twisted laterally to cause the fingers normally to occupy a crossed relation with respect to each other, and also to cause the fingers, when reversed 180", to be placed fiatwise against each other, and to be held resiliently together.

2. A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent f upon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop at one end of the clasp and relatively wide spring fingers extending therefrom, a portion of the material of the clasp adjacent said loop being twisted laterally to cause the fingers normally to occupy a crossed relation with respect to each other, one of the fingers being transversely corrugated and one of the fingers being also wider than the other.

3. A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop at one end of the clasp and relatively wide spring fingers extending therefrom, a portion of the material of the clasp adjacent said loopbeing twisted laterally to cause the fingers normally to occupy a crossed relation with respect to each other, and also to cause. the fingers, when treversed 180, to be placed fiatwise against each other, and to be held resiliently together, one of the fingers being transversely corrugated and ,the former position to facilitate said reversal.

7. A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent yupon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop one of the fingers being also wider than the other.

4. A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop atcone -end of the :clasp .and. relatively -wide s pring fingers :extending therefrom :in normally .=crossed relation, the material of the; loopedend being :rel- ,atively narrow to l'facilitatellateral bending of .the fingers, said looped-end andifingers being so-constructed andarranged relative to each other as to .allowzthe fingers to be reversed with respect to ieachcther for closing :the fingersagainst-each other.

5. A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop at oneend-of the clasp-and relatively wide-spring fingers extended therefrom, said fingers being soaconstructediand arranged with .respect to each other and to the loop as to be-capable of being separately turned about their longitudinal axes through .180", and thereby :to be reversed with respect to each other for assuming znormally either a crossed relation when inone position or lengthwise .opposed contacting relation when in the other position.

6. A hair clasp formed of springmetal bent uponlitself intermediate its .ends :to form .aloop .at one endef the-clasp andmelatively widespring at one end of the clasp and relatively wide spring fingers extended therefrom, said fingers being so constructed .and arranged with respect to each other and to the loop as to be capable of being separately turned .about their longitudinal axes through and thereby to be'reversed with respect to each other for assuming normally either a'crossedrelation when in ,oneposition or lengthwise opposed contacting relation when in the other position, the fingers diverging laterally from their ends toward the looped end when in the former position, the material of the looped end-being relatively narrow to facilitate said reversal.

.8.'A hair clasp formed of spring metal bent upon itself intermediate its ends to form a loop at one end of the clasp andrelatively wide spring fingers extending therefrom, the material of the loop being relatively narrow to facilitate axial twisting of the material of the loop, said fingers being so constructed and arranged with respect to each other and to the loop as to .be capable of being separately turned about their longitudinal axes through 180, thereby to be reversed with respect-to each other .for assuming normally either a .crossedrelation when in one position or lengthwise opposed contacting relation with their widesides adjacent each other when in the other position.

' WALLIS B. WARDELL. 

